Goa industry body pulls out of film festival

Panaji: Goa`s apex industrial body today said it was partially pulling out from the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which will take place in Goa during November 23 to December 3.

Last year and the year before, the Chamber had organised `Panaji Shopping Festival` as a part of IFFI. The shopping festival would not be a part of IFFI this year. Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) said it would continue giving discounts to the delegates at Panaji`s famous 18th June street, but the glamour quotient will be zero.

GCCI Chairman Manguirish Pai-Raikar said the chamber intended to continue the association with IFFI, but the usual fanfare accompanying the event, organised by the industry body on the sidelines of the festival, will not be there. In the past, celebrities were invited to walk down the 18th June street, a commercial street. But this time, Raikar said, "There will no celebrity walking on the street or visiting the shops."

A senior member of the chamber told PTI that shopping festival, which was supposed to attract lot of glamour, was bereft of celebrities last year. Entertainment Society of Goa, nodal agency for IFFI, reportedly forgot to send the celebrities for shopping festival, which perturbed the organisers.

Raikar, refusing to reveal the reason for the partial pull-out from IFFI, said that Panaji Shopping Festival will happen at a later date. "We will continue with Panaji Shopping Festival on our own, which will be sometime during Christmas," he said.

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